OUTDOORS

18 THE SUN OUTDOORS MARCH 30, 2022

Springtime is shallow flats time

CAPTAIN RICK GRASSETT

This is a great month for snook on shallow flats. Reds and trout will also be more active as the water warms and baitfish become more plentiful. You might find Spanish mackerel, blues and pompano in passes or on deep grass flats. Look for Spanish mackerel, false albacore (little tunny), cobia and tripletail in the coastal Gulf this month. Tarpon should also make an appearance in back country areas and in the coastal Gulf later in the month.

Tarpon will become more plentiful this month as resident fish make their way out of rivers and creeks and early arriving migratory fish begin to show along beaches, particularly by the end of the month. Water temperature in the Gulf is a key factor, with 80 degrees being optimum. As the water warms towards that, fish will become more plentiful. Resident fish may be rolling on deep grass flats in some of the same places that you find trout, laid up on edges of shallow grass flats or along sand bars. Spin anglers might score with a DOA Shrimp, Baitbuster or 4” CAL Shad Tail while fly anglers might connect with a black Deceiver or Tarpon Bunny fly. Keep your tarpon tackle rigged and ready this time of year so you’re able to take advantage of any opportunity that arises.

Snook and reds remain closed to harvest south of State Rd 64 in Manatee County on the west coast of Florida, south to the south bank of Gordon Pass in Collier County. Reds and snook are catch and release only in that zone until May 31. Spotted seatrout has reopened in that zone with a 3 fish per person, bag limit and a 6 fish boat limit. Trout must be from 15”-19” with one allowed per vessel over 19”. Full regulations and details can be viewed at https://myfwc.com/ .

Snook should be staging on flats, around sand and oyster bars, on points of islands and around docks and bridges close to passes in the ICW. Spin anglers should score with CAL jigs and a variety of plastic tails including the 4” CAL Shad, DOA Baitbusters or surface walking top water plugs, like the DOA PT. Fish the edges of bars and potholes when the tide is low and mangrove shorelines or points of islands when the tide is high. You’ll also find snook around docks and bridges in the ICW. Night snook fishing should be productive with small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow fly, CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms, DOA Shrimp and Tiny TerrorEyz. Fish peak tidal flows for the best action.

Reds will spend more time feeding on shallow flats due to more plentiful bait. I am seeing a decline in reds and big trout in shallow water in many of the areas that I fish, which makes them even harder to catch with lures and flies. Look for them in potholes, the edges of bars and around docks when the tide is low. You should find them higher on flats over shallow grass or around mangrove shorelines when the tide is high. I like a 1/16-oz CAL jig with a shad tail or jerk worm for reds in shallow water. They are easy to fish in shallow water, come in multiple colors and are a good way to find reds. My Grassett Flats Minnow is my “go to” fly for reds. It fishes well in shallow water and its bend back design makes it very weedless. You may also find big trout in skinny water in many of the same places that you find reds. The same lures, flies and techniques used to find and catch reds will also work for big trout.

Trout should be plentiful on deep grass flats. I like to drift and cast ahead of my drift with CAL jigs and a variety of plastic tails or DOA Deadly Combos. Fly anglers should score with weighted flies on sink tip fly lines. I tie Clousers with Ultra Hair on long shank hooks so that they are durable and will hold up to toothy and rough mouth fish. Deep grass flats with a close proximity to passes and usually good due to strong tidal flow.

You might also find blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano or flounder mixed with trout on deep grass flats. The same lures, flies and techniques that you use to find trout on deep grass will work for these species, too. You’ll need to tip your leader with wire or heavy fluorocarbon when blues and mackerel are around. I prefer heavy fluorocarbon and long shank hooks whenever possible, since that usually won’t affect the trout bite. Blues and mackerel usually don’t feed on the surface in the bay like they do in the open gulf, but you may see bait showering or boils indicating fast moving fish, feeding just below the surface. Pompano may “skip” when you run or drift past them giving their location away. When that happens, circle back upwind and drift the area. Flounder are often found in potholes, on the edges of bars or on mud bottom.

April is one of my favorite months. There should be good action in Sarasota Bay on both shallow and deep grass flats, in the coastal gulf for mackerel, albies, cobia and tripletail and with tarpon by the end of the month. I like early season tarpon, since they are usually aggressive, but there should be lots of other options, too. Our natural resources are under constant pressure from red tides fueled by industrial, agricultural and residential runoff, toxic spills and discharges, freezes, increasing fishing pressure and habitat loss and degradation, please limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!

CAPTAIN RICK GRASSETT | SUBMITTED Mike Perez, from Sarasota, with a Sarasota Bay snook caught and released on DOA Lures.

BY KRISTIN SWAIN

SUN STAFF WRITER | kswain@amisun.com

ANNA MARIA – The Bradenton Gulf Islands Concert Series is rocking on, this time with an acoustic set from award-winning recording artist Richard Marx.

Marx took the stage at The Center of Anna Maria Island for a oneman acoustic show on March 23 to the sound of applause and excited fans. Rather than your typical show, Marx gave concertgoers a more intimate performance. While playing all of his hits from “Endless Summer Nights” and “Hazard” to a finale of “Right Here Waiting” on piano, Marx kept up a steady conversation with the audience, sharing some of his stories from life as a musician and songwriter to pausing to take photographs with fans. Taking every question tossed his way from the crowd, Marx spent time between songs engaging the audience with his quick and sometimes sarcastic wit before carrying on with the show, which clocked in at around two hours.

In addition to playing his acoustic guitar and the piano, Marx fully unplugged for a rendition of “Angelia,” forgoing even the use of a microphone for the performance. His efforts were applauded by the audience with a standing ovation. Ending this edition of the concert series at The Center will be Felix Cavaliere’s The Rascals with a performance on April 2. Tickets are on sale at www.centerami.org/ events.

The Bradenton Gulf Islands Concert Series is sponsored by Bradenton Area Arts and Culture, The Sandbar and Cedar Cove Resort & Cottages.

KRISTIN SWAIN | SUN Master of the love song, Richard Marx played to a nearly sold-out crowd on March 23 at The Center.

NEWS BRIEFS

Chamber has job opening

The Anna Maria Island Chamber is still looking to fill a position open at the Manatee Public Beach Kiosk one or two days a week. The schedule is flexible and this is a great place to assist visitors and answer questions on everything AMI. If interested, contact the AMI Chamber at info@amichamber.org.

The Artists’ Guild of Anna Maria Island will hold its next Zoom class on April 10 at 10 a.m. Join Anne Abgott for this one-day, online class about shadows and reflections on teacups. This is an adventure in patterned fabric folds catching the light in patterned China. Registration includes the class materials and access to the recording. Recordings are available for 30 days following class completion. Class registration closes one day before the start of class, so early registration is urged. To register, or for more information, call 941-7786694 or go to agamiclasses@gmail.com.

Live Music on our Patio Anna Maria'sFavorite Hang Out

our business is growing

Farm Market Hours: 11AM - 6PM | Wed - Fri 9AM- 1PM | Sat - Sun

SPRING HARVEST FROM GAMBLE CREEK FARMS

People are more interested today than ever before with knowing where their food is coming from and ideally, who is growing it and how. That deep connection with the food being consumed is driving more people to care about the distances that food travels from farmer to consumer. Since 1979, the Chiles Group—owners of the Sandbar, the Beach House and Mar Vista restaurants—has strived to bring the freshest seafood and top-quality locally sourced foods to the patrons of their restaurants. Always an advocate for the environment and sustainability, the Chiles Group took the opportunity to become more integrated into the food chain supply with its lease seven years ago of Gamble Creek Farm. The restaurant group has now purchased the farm and is embarking on major improvements to better serve their restaurants and to be available to the surrounding Parish community. Composting from all three restaurants help fertilize the crops. The 26-acre farm features organ human health and the health of the environment. The Gamble Creek farm team has taken experience from their travels around the world and brought back the best products and techniques for Florida’s climate. The locally harvested crops used in featured menu selections are delighting diners at all three restaurants. Other key partnerships with collaborators such as wild-trapped boar with Shogun Farms and organic blueberries from the Chiles family farm, Jubilee Orchards bring top of the line fare to the three sister restaurants and their guests. Crops being harvested at the farm currently are salad lettuces including Romaine, Green and Red Butter and Red Sweet Crisp; brassicas including kale and Daikon Radish and herbs that include Cilantro, Nasturtium, Mexican Mint Tarragon and Scallions. On the Sandbar menu in Anna Maria, Octopus Escabeche with Gulf of Mexico octopus, house-pickled Gamble Creek Farms vegetables, and fried green plantains feature yields from the farm. The Beach House in Bradenton Beach is serving Gamble Farmhouse Salad with veggies and lettuces from the farm topped with Manchego Cheese and Tropical Vinaigrette with Jubilee Orchard blueberries. Farm fresh options at Mar Vista on Longboat Key include Crispy Oyster Rockefeller with Gamble Creek Farm creamed greens, parmesan cheese and roasted red pepper coulis or the crispy softshell crab with fried romaine lettuce, blueberry BBQ, granny smith apple and Gamble Creek Farm radish slay and lemon crème fresh. Both choices are sure to please. Small shifts in our daily choices and lifestyles can have a meaningful impact and Gamble Creek Farms is a great place to learn how all these systems work together. With the hospitality industry making up 11% of the world economy, there is an obligation to work for climate improvements. The health of Gamble Creek, the namesake of the farm, directly links to the health of the Tampa Bay and the Sarasota Bay. Organizations like All Clams on Deck are doing vital work to help clean the water that is directly linked to farming and favorable climate changes.

The public is invited to visit Gamble Creek Farm Market Wed-Fri 11AM-6PM and Sat-Sun 9AM-1PM at 14950 Golf Course Road in Parrish. Fresh from the farm harvests change frequently so stop by often for the best selection of seasonal goodies.